Harvester
General Alien Harvesters, or known more simply as Harvesters, were introduced as NPC ships during the very first Alien Decimation event. See Harvester/NPC for more details. Much later, during the inception of the Umbra, it was revealed that Klavic and what remained of the Altairians were working on cloning Harvesters. One of them was stolen, most likely by Keres VII, and soon after, it was made available to players during the Catalyst event. Strategy and Setup Advantages The Harvester lives up to its reputation well as a massive capital ship, and is capable of putting up a fight even against fleets half a tier higher. In addition to its massive health pool and maximum mass which is augmented by mass reductions to armor as well as boosts to armor health, it also has a large number of weapon slots, which is further completed by a weapon mass reduction and DPS boost. Note that its Alien Damage bonus only stacks additively with the basic DPS bonus, resulting in 2.75x the normal damage for Alien weaponry and 2.5x the normal damage for other weapons. The Harvester is highly resistant to Alien Damage, increasing its effectiveness against Xeno Division, A.X.I.S. and even Altairian ships that utilise Alien weaponry, and can traverse Alien Nebula Fields without ill effects. It may be no match for the Behemoth Dreadnought, but it is the closest ship to be able to rival it. Its lower maximum mass allows for the use of other ships to support it as well, which could prove a deciding factor in a PvP battle. Its Surge Core releases a powerful burst of energy that deals heavy damage to enemy ships near it when its health drops below 75%, 50%, 25% and to 0% respectively, making enemies think twice about approaching it directly. It also has a 360-degree firing arc with a 125% range modifier, granting the ship ultimate squadron range as well as battleship-like weapon range. Disadvantages As mentioned earlier, the Harvester's stats are inferior to the Behemoth Dreadnought, and thus in a 1 on 1 engagement, the Harvester is most likely going to lose the fight. Since it does not possess Ablation, unlike the Behemoth, it is unable to regenerate its second layer of protection (shields) during battle, and will take severe damage once its shields go down. The Harvester does not possess resistance to Blight weapons, meaning it takes much more damage when facing against NPC targets that are armed with those, such as Umbra Targets. Without stasis resistance, and with a low forward speed, Harvesters can be easily kited if the opponent uses weapons that have much longer range compared to it. The Tyrant, in particular, can outrange it and simultaneously defend against its squadrons. When equipped with a jump drive, it has a hefty repair time of around 12 hours, on par with the Javelin Flagship. Its fleet icon is easily recognisable in sector, allowing enemy players to prepare countermeasures should a hostile one be spotted. With a minimum level of 130, there is currently no way to protect a Harvester from attack via escorting. An additional consequence is the inability to attack other player fleets, other than the Behemoth Dreadnought (which is largely suicidal), or another Harvester. Trivia *The Harvester is the first hull and the only A.X.I.S. Hull to have Alien Nebula Resist. *It is the first ship to be made available to players at the Elite/Mk VI upgrade level. *The Harvester has the 2nd highest unladen mass of any ship in existence, falling short of the Behemoth Dreadnought's unladen mass which is much higher. *The Harvester has the 2nd largest cargo capacity and XP of any ship. *The Harvester has the 3rd largest base health of any ship. The ship(s) with the largest base health is the Behemoth Dreadnought and the Sovereign Carrier, while the 2nd largest is the Paladin Carrier. *The Harvester gained resistance to Plasma damage and nebulae in the January 2019 update. Gallery VEGA Conflict Alien Harvester.png|Alien Harvester official art Harvester (angle).png|Alien Harvester (angled) Capture73.PNG|Side by side comparison with the Ancient Harvester AlienHarvester.PNG|A close-up shot of the Alien Harvester in battle Harv1.PNG|Harvester versus Umbra Ships. Harv2.PNG|A Harvester Facing off against another Harvester. Harvester Fleet Icon.PNG|Fleet Icon of the Harvester in Sector. Harvester Jump.PNG|A Harvester preparing to warp across the sector. ----